The Weekly Wrap: Feb. 7 - Feb. 13

Quoteworthy

“I’m really big into computers. I used to watch highlights all day. I love that [Japanese] style. They may not always be the best fighters, but I think they have the best fights.” -- Joe Lauzon in post-fight remarks after he defeated Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 17

“You can imagine the top 10 -- the Frank Shamrocks, the Robbie Lawlers, the Gina Caranos and the Kimbo Slices of the world, all the way down to some of the guys we thought were the up-and-coming stars of the future. We went down the roster with a couple of my teammates, and we said, ‘What do you think about this guy? What about this guy?’ Not just the top tier guys; we took some of the fighters we thought would be helpful in continuing to grow Strikeforce.” -- Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker to Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show, as he answered questions about the fighter contracts acquired in the Pro Elite asset sale

“Kimbo wants to fight, so if that’s who got the contract, then that’s who we fight with.” -- Mike Imber, manager of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, talking about the bearded heavyweight fighting for Strikeforce

“I said, ‘Whatever the agreement you have with anyone else, I don’t want to know. I’m going to referee this fight like an MMA fight. If you throw your opponent on the ground, get back up and let it go. I will not force you to get up.’” -- Referee Yves Lavigne to Sherdog.com about working the Strikebox show that resulted in a riot in Montreal

“Now we know the rules under which to live. We informed all the promoters last week that they must now respect the rules of Quebec.” -- Réjean Thériault, Director of Communications for the Combat Sports Division of the Governing Body of Alcohol, Races and Games of Quebec, talking to Sherdog.com about a reinterpretation of the province’s fight rules that may keep the UFC out of Montreal

“I’m confident that this will all work out.” -- Marc Ratner, the UFC’s head of regulatory affairs, discussing the situation in Quebec with Sherdog.com

“Most of the guys that Georges has fought … they are pretty tough guys, but every time someone steps in against Georges, they just, I don’t know, they respect him too much. I think I’ll be a little bigger than him. Usually when I fight, I’m around 195, 190. That day, I will be probably 195, 200 almost, because I’m going to eat so much.” -- Top welterweight contender Thiago Alves talking with Sherdog.com about fighting champion Georges St. Pierre

“This weight cut hasn’t been easy. But the reason I went to 155 is it’s a challenge, and I knew that it was going to take a lot of discipline. I was 193 pounds on Christmas Eve, so I’ve dropped about 30 pounds up to now.” -- Diego Sanchez, who debuts at 155 pounds at UFC 95, discussing the move during a pre-fight teleconference

“Do I think he’s going to retire at 35? No, I don’t, but that was a goal; we set that goal out. So our goal is to get to 35 and be in a position where he has the choice to retire.” -- Ed Soares, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s manager, on HDNet’s “Inside MMA” discussing Silva’s pledge last year to retire after his next five fights

“We’re not switching gears to boxing. MMA is still our priority. Our commitment to Affliction is still a number one priority, and we’re looking forward to fighting on their next event. -- Andrei Arlovski’s manager, Leo Khorlinsky, talking in an interview with Sherdog.com about the Belarusian’s April 11 professional boxing debut

“So to cure the stigma that we don’t like MMA or that we’re against it, to prove my point, I’m going to start promoting them, too. And they have a huge fan base, too. They love fighting. Boxing … ultimate fighting … it’s all still fighting. Why do people keep trying to pull us apart? Why not come together and make for an even bigger situation and make it better for both sports? MMA has something that boxing doesn’t have, which boxing needs to acknowledge.” -- Boxing superstar Roy Jones Jr. discussing with Sherdog.com his plan to promote MMA fights underneath his boxing match on March 21 in Pensacola, Fla.

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The Week Ahead

Spike TV airs its first “Countdown” show of the year on Feb. 16, hyping its free broadcast of UFC 95 -- a show headlined by Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson. Plus, UFC hall of famer Ken Shamrock competes in and promotes War Gods “The Valentine’s Eve Massacre” on Feb. 13 in Fresno, Calif., which streamed live on Sherdog.com.